SYNOPSIS:

This is the story of Tom Pinkerton, the child of Madame Butterfly and U.S. Navy Lt. Pinkerton, conceived during their contract marriage in Nagasaki in the late 19th century and born after his departure. When Pinkerton and his American wife come to Nagasaki three years later, they learn of the child and persuade Butterfly to give him to them so they can take him to the United States for a proper upbringing. Butterfly is devastated, but agrees, then commits suicide. So says Puccini in his opera, Madame Butterfly. This backstory is revealed in dialogue. Pinkerton dies when Tom is quite young, and his step mother lies, so Tom knows nothing of his past until the ex-consul of Nagasaki tells him. Tom is troubled, now that he knows what he did not know. He goes to Japan to search for his Japanese soul. He finds his mother in Kyoto’s geisha district. There he falls in love with a young geisha, but her rejected suitor feels dishonored and threatens the two lovers with death. In a tale that is both tragic and fulfilling, Tom finds his soul and an identity.